Friday, April 1, 2016

Dangers of being a 'fan'.

Let me start this post by mentioning that I know how it feels being a fan of someone as I was also one such fan. I am not just talking about some casual fan or admirer who just likes someone and is not crazy about them, but about a 'die hard' fan, for whom their idols are not less than any god. These fans have complete blind faith in their idols, just like a devotee. According to them these people are just perfect and can do nothing wrong. Such fans worship people who they adore and love. I was a one such die hard fan of two very celebrated artists from India, actor Amitabh Bachchan and legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, I adored them so much that no matter what I tried to watch each and every movie in which they contributed anything, also tried to read whatever I can about their work and their lives. At the same time I disliked anything written against them, I despised anyone who said anything even remotely against them, I hated and tried to criticize or demean any competitor who posed any challenge to their position in their profession. According to me they were the best, no one was even close to them, there was no doubt in my mind that these two people are legends and no one can replace them ever. When I look back today I realize how stupid and ignorant I was that time, this is the reason I totally understand the behavior of many ardent followers or fans of any political leader or artist. I don't get annoyed, frustrated or angry at these people, but I understand their situation and hope that they come out of that mental state soon.

It is not a very desirable situation to be a die hard or a fanatic fan of anyone, rather I believe it is a very dangerous situation because as a fan, you tend to shut your logic and rational completely when you deal with anything related with your idol. Fan's opinions about their own idols or people who talk or compete against their idol are devoid of any logic and rational. To take my own example, I admired Amitabh and Lata so much that I hated their competitors without even watching or evaluating their work. For me Amitabh was the ultimate hero and no one came even close to him, I disliked movies of Anil Kapoor who was an upcoming star at that time only because he was threatening the position of Amitabh as an angry young man. Similarly, I also disliked songs of Anuradha Paudwal who was again an upcoming singer with the help of music company T-series without even considering the merits and demerits of her performance just because she was getting more popular than Lata. I didn't care that these artists also have an equal right to display their talent and compete for that top space, I was just angry with these people because they challenged my idols and according to me it was the biggest crime anyone can do.

Any celebrity loved to have as many fans as possible, these fans create the buzz and euphorbia about that celebrity. These celebrities get fame, money and great careers because of their fans, but as a fan we don't get much except a joy of watching someone to perform. It is not a bad thing at all to like some actor or politician or any other person. It is not bad to read about them or try to follow their work and opinions. As a human beings we are bound to have certain likes and dislikes. But to take that like or dislike to a level where there is no scope for any discussion or debate is what differentiates a die hard fan from the rest of admirers. Today also I like Amitabh and Lata Mangeshkar, I love to watch his movies and listen to her songs, but I am not a die hard fan of them or anyone now. I know that someone will replace these artists today or tomorrow. I understand that there are people who are as good or may be better than them, I don't get angry if anyone starts to criticize them or point out some flaws in their performance or says anything bad about them. I am very glad that I came out of my 'fan mode' sooner than I expected. I wish all the fans behave with some sense and logic whenever their dear idol is criticized or defeated, it is natural to feel disappointed, but in our outrage should also be expressed in a proper way. If you support any particular political party, then please remember that other political groups also have an equal right to propagate their views. If you support any political leader or any artist then please remember that as a public figure these people are open for criticism from anyone, please don't react like a fanatic if anyone says anything about your dear idol. If possible, please don't become a die hard fan of anyone, believe me it doesn't help.

2 comments:

Hi Vinay... I'm not your fan.. but I liked your self realization thougts.. the way you expressed to make others understand the things is good.. feeling lucky to seen your posts.. for long time I was searching a person like you... always I have one question in my mind "from where the thoughts are produced?" so I guess you have the answer for question. anyway feeling good to got a chance to read your posts. I would like to get some answers from you, for my questions, if you don't mind can I expect. Thanks.

Thanks a lot Deva for visiting the blog and sharing your thoughts. I really appreciate my readers feedback and I would be more than happy to answer your questions to best of my ability. But as I advise everyone, don't take my answers as final word, do some research and try to look at all possible variables and then decide based on your own consciousness.

Our thoughts are products of whatever we feed to our mind. Knowingly or unknowingly we feed lot of data in our mind. We gather large amount of information from our surroundings, everyone of us process that information as per our own capacity. Our thoughts are result of all this data, that is why we need to analyze all information which we acquire as today or tomorrow that information is going to contribute towards our thought process.

I hope I answered your question, it not then please continue the conversation and share your thoughts. Thanks again for your kind words and keep sharing your thoughts.